Is this mix too hot?

  • Thread starter Thread starter HevyD47Ca
  • Start date Start date
Hey there: I don't think it's too loud, but it's just PUMPING with compression in a really unnatural way...it's making the hi hat sound like it's under water or something.

At any rate, I wasn't hearing hella' disortion or anything, but the monitors are closed for the evening, lol. Just wanted to stop by and let you know that that is a pretty cool take on this song. Different groove, but it works.

The mix has some serious issues right now...how are you recording? Digital/Analog. And what in the world is making the brass and the low end just inhale and exhale like that?

I like your voice...character, with pitch...played a couple of gigs in your life? lol.

Take care,
-A novice
 
WaveHammer

I tried the wavehammer plug from soundforge.
I'm not using it correctly.....
I'll remix tommorrow.
Not having any monitors is becoming a pain.
Oh well.
Thanks for the input Chris, it's much appreciated
 
Lots of splatter on those cymbals. Reminds me of some drums I recorded with a cheap RS condensor onto my old TASCAM 05. Also similar to listening to a DBX encoded tape without the decoding. No compressor required.:D

The music has a very "roomy" sound. That combined with the dry vocal makes it sound like a live band with a direct line off the board.
 
I listened lo-fi so I dont have a reference on the mix. I enjoyed the tune and the fabric you used to make it. The mids and low were kinda blurry on lo-fi but I know what you mean about Wave Hammer. I learned to set the input volume low enough that I can use the threshold to lightly tap at the peaks without really "grabbing the signal by the hair" so to speak. That might help you out some. Good rythmatics in the tune, singing and picking fine..
 
Yeah I like your voice too. A bit of pitchiness, but it has good tone for this style.

I think the mix is a bit too hot. I heard what I think is a clip at :53. There may be audible clips at other spots. Lot's of pumping by the compressor(s)/limiter(s). I think you can pull back some of the guits and also make some EQ cuts and not have to compress so hard.

The bass is muddy. Try a cut at around 275hz or so. You might want to play around with a small boost at 800hz or so to get some definition on its attack. Or retrack it.

That high-hat needs some work. It's very prommintent. The guits are a little abrasive sounding - a bit heavy in the mid-range.

Keep at it.
 
Pardon the aside, but is there a specific definition of what a 'cover' is rather than just recording the song.

Frankly I liked your other stuff better. The vocals, background vocals in particular, seem like you are trying to immitate the movie soundtrack rather than do your own expression of it.
 
HMMMM

Good point innovations...........I do like the original maybe too much.
 
Hey man,...you know, I really shouldn't try to comment on tunes when I'm listening on headphones, but at least I warned you, eh?

Okay, the pumping thing seems to be under control (as in not there anymore), and it seems to have helped out the hi hat weirdness that was going on, but on monitors (you'll hate me) I'm hearing other stuff; mainly:

1. Timing problems on the intro;

2. Pitch problems on the vocal.

3. Some clipping on the crashes when they're hit with the kick (which is kinda' every crash, lol). NOT every crash/kick is distorting, but enough.

4. The EQ - It sounds like it's been totally mashed flat against the ceiling...so I'm getting too much high end and midrange (guits and high hat that Triple M mentioned). I think if you dropped the overall level of the tune 2 or 3 db, and kinda' gave it a little more ass, it'd mask a lot of the highs and smooth out the whole mix.

I don't know if your wave hammer thing is like an L1 or an L2 (basically, a limiter with super fast attack and release), but I've noticed on those things that NO MATTER WHAT ANYBODY SAYS ABOUT LIMITING BEING YOUR LAST STEP, you have to cut some mids and highs after you use them, b/c it essentially treats all signal levels the same...the highs and mids which sit comfortably below - 12db in a "normal" mix get jacked up to the same -.000000001 db level as the bass, so the low end gets lost, and the mids and highs just kinda' take over in a not very cool way.

All that having been said, I still love your lead tone, and I really think it'll sound even better if you just start at 1K and push all faders/sliders/parametric dots downward until the EQ looks like a big old smiley face. :D

Still love the tone of your voice too, but the cans may have lied to me about the pitch if that's the same vocal track.

Take it easy,
-A Rank Freaking Amateur





Timing issues on the intro.
 
I am guessing at this point I am hearing version 2.0

It doesn't sound too pumped but it is kinda hot.
A nice recording. The high hat needs to come down a tad and pull back a little of the highs.
I also would like to hear more Bass definition, especially on a funky tune like this.
Nice singing, a pitch issue here and there but nothing majorly earbreaking. Vocal tone and growl works well, how many takes did it take for you to do this. It almost seems like one of those tracks that after time you could get a more natural delivery, and work the growls and funk in where it feels right.

Very nice guitar work, save your rubles for a pair of monitors and you'll be styling.
 
Sounds much better, but there are still some issues that chris didn't mention.

One thing that is more apparent now is the instruments not being in the same space. The guitar on the left seem to be way off in the other room. The panning on the drums is also a bit too wide.
 
Thanks Chris

I need to keep working on the mastering thing.
What do you use to monitor things if you don't mind a guy asking? And to answer an earlier post I spent many years eeking
out a living playing in bars back in the 80's.

Thanks jcmm I am working on monitors.
I will probably work that tune into the Live act. I do the One man Band thing locally.
 
I didn't hear the previous version, but this sounds really good to me. I don't know the original.

Sounds like a less sloppy version of the Minutemen to me. Pretty cool!
 
fprod

Thanks F

Did you see the movie
Oh Brother, where art thou?

Thats where the song comes from
 
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